


AmadeuS

by HolyTrinity



Series: AmadeuS [1]
Category: Topp Dogg (Band)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 12:28:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3249707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyTrinity/pseuds/HolyTrinity





	1. Chapter 1

Byungjoo’s pov

I trailed behind the school guide slowly, taking in my surroundings. This was my first time in this high class academy, and I had gotten in on a full scholarship. I was a prodigy and my talents were well known. When I got the opportunity to learn here, especially under the guide of one of the best Magical Conductors, I decided to come.

Well, my parents urged me to go, I couldn’t care less who taught me, but this place came with quite the background and I’d surely get hired after graduating. “This is where you will be practicing,” the guide said, pointing into a room. It was empty at the moment, but I could tell it was large, big enough for my center to fit in and then some.

The guide showed me all the areas I needed to know about. The school was massive, but there were only a few halls I needed to frequent considering my power. So after the guide showed me around, he took me to the dorm hall, stopping in front of the door that would lead to my new room.

I didn’t get the chance to tell him that his presence was no longer necessary before the door swung open. On the other side was a boy who was around my size. He had honey brown hair and puffy cheeks. He didn’t speak, merely choosing to look between us.

“Hojoon, this is Kim Byungjoo, your new roommate. Byungjoo, this is Jeon HoJoon.” The guide introduced. Afterwards, he bowed and left, disappearing into thin air before he even reached the corner.

With him gone, I turned back to Hojoon to see that he was no longer standing by the door. I walked in, immediately seeing my new roommate sitting on his bed with a book in his hand. He ignored my existence as I shut the door behind me and I noticed that my things were placed neatly beside the bed on the right side of the room.

“So, what is there to do for fun around here?” I asked as I plopped down on the bed, amused by the noise it made.

Hojoon looked up from the book he was reading and leveled me with a gaze so intense I got a little nervous. He stared at me for a minute before the intensity left and he looked more my age. “There’s a shit ton of things to do here, depending on what you are.” He replied.

“I’m a Wizard.” I replied. “No shit.” Hojoon shot back. I lifted a brow, surprised by his sass. I liked him. “I’m a part of the Musical Ward.” I explained and Hojoon nodded. “You’re a Conductor in training. We don’t get many of those.” I knew it was true considering the musical aspect of magic was quite dangerous.

Control was extremely important and things could end badly if one lost control of their center in the middle of a performance. Most Conductors weren’t very strong and chose to do street performances or join theater. Only the strongest really succeeded in theater and even moved on to performing for people worldwide.

“So what is there to do?” I repeated. “Well,” Hojoon shifted so he was facing me, his book no longer interesting. “Ever been to a party full of shifters, wizards, and a couple dragons?” he asked. “No.” I replied, wondering if he was just playing with me. The smile that crossed his features told me that he wasn’t. Well I was in for an interesting night.

The party was held in a dorm a few halls away from where our room. From outside, it didn’t seem like anything was happening inside at all. However, when the door flew open after Hojoon knocked, I realized that someone must’ve used a spell. The minute the door opened, music flowed out at an extremely loud level.

On the other side was a guy who was taller than Hojoon and myself. His hair was shaved on either side and a shock of blue hair was in the middle. The boy looked quite intimidating until he smiled and greeted Hojoon happily.

“Who is this?” the guy asked, turning his gaze on me. “This is Byungjoo, he’s my new roommate.” Hojoon explained. “Hojoon, this is Hyunho, but he prefers Seogoong.” I greeted the other and he was still all smiles as he pulled in the room before shutting the door.

When I turned around, I noted how full the room was. I knew the dorms here were large, but this was crazy. The room seemed almost as big as a classroom and then some, and it was filled with people who were dancing on each other. Now that I looked, this didn’t seem like a room at all. When I asked, Hojoon grinned.

“It’s not. This room doesn’t even exist, but this is a magical academy.” He grinned happily, and I nodded, accepting his reason. “C’mon,” Hojoon said, pulling me into the crowd. I followed and relaxed in my element, appreciating all the music surrounding me. Looking around showed that it wasn’t because of a conductor, but speakers that lined the entire room.

As I looked around, I saw a group of guys who didn’t look happy at all. In fact, they looked a little murderous. I nudged Hojoon and nodded in their direction as discretely as possible. “Who are they?” I asked. Hojoon moved closer to me as he danced so I could hear him.

“The one with the really red hair who looks like he’d rather be elsewhere, that’s Jiho, but everyone calls him Xero. The one with the dark hair who looks like a puppy, that’s Dongsung, but everyone calls him Gohn. The guy in the middle, with the dark blue hair, that’s Hansol.” Hojoon explained.

“Why do they look like they don’t want to be here?” I asked. Hojoon shrugged and did a body wave that earned quite a few stares. “Gohn probably made them come. He’s scary when he wants to be, all shifters are.” Hojoon explained, twirling away. I watched him go with a laugh before getting more into the music. I came here to have fun, and that’s what I was going to do.

As I danced, I wondered what this school would be like. I mean sure it came with a list full of recommendations and papers basically saying how awesome they are, but I was curious as to what this school was really like.

As I was dancing, I found myself whirling around, only to immediately slam into someone else. Caught off guard, I stumbled away and fell, landing ungracefully on my ass. That hurt. I looked up, more than ready to tell whoever ran into me about themselves, until I met the dark gaze of the red head.

If he looked murderous earlier, he looked down right homicidal as he stared me down. Had he not heard of a chill pill? The frown on his face that deepened the longer we stared at each other informed me that he did not, in fact, know what a chill pill was.


	2. Chapter 2

“Are you just going to keep sitting there?” a voice that definitely did not belong to the poor sport in front of me asked. I looked around, wondering where the voice had come from. I think it was a bit too high to be the voice of reason. It turns out the person the voice belonged to was standing next to the homicidal red head.

He looked just as annoyed as his friend and he was looking at me as if I didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as he did. When it appeared that I wasn’t going to speak, he snorted and stepped around me, ignoring my existence. The one I had bumped into looked me over before following his friend, seeming just as unimpressed.

Honestly, I was a little offended, but I knew better than to mess with someone who looked like they wanted to rip my face off. As I was preparing to stand, a hand appeared in front of me. I stared at it for a total of two seconds before taking it.

I could barely bat a lash before I was on my feet, a bit wobbly from how quickly the other pulled me up, but he didn’t let go until I could stand on my own. “Sorry about them, they’re a bit pissy today.” The man informed me, all smiles. I recognized him as the one Hojoon called Dongsung, or Gohn, whatever.

“Really? They look murderous not,” I paused and glanced over my shoulder but I couldn’t see the angry duo. “Pissy.” I finished as I turned back to the other. “There’s a competition coming up and when Hansol’s upset, Xero’s upset. I’m Gohn by the way. I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

“My name’s Byungjoo. You can call me BJoo.” I supplied. Gohn nodded, taking everything in stride. “What ward are you in? I’m a shifter, a lion.” “I’m in the Musical Ward,” I said. Gohn hummed softly before looking over my shoulder. “You’re the same as Hansol.” He informed me.

“The angry one?” I groaned in anguish, wondering if I’d be able to sit far away from him. Gohn laughed, loud and boisterous. “Hansol’s not that bad once you get to know him.” “That means I have to learn to tolerate his attitude.” I grumbled. Gohn looked me over, his expression going serious for a moment. It was gone a split second later and I didn’t think I knew him well enough to ask questions.

“He’s not that bad.” Gohn simply repeated solemnly before his smile returned. “Anyway, it was nice meeting you BJoo. I’ve got to catch up with those little rascals before they decide to sneak off to their dorm.” And with that, Gohn was on his way, hunting down the two that had disappeared earlier. I looked after him, shaking my head. Interesting fellow.

After that, altercation, I found Hojoon and stuck to him throughout the night. He didn’t seem bothered by it in the least and we had a lot of fun. I’m not sure when I found alcohol exactly, but it was an amazing decision and I don’t even remember how I got back to my dorm.

When I woke up, my head was pounding and my stomach was churning. I groaned and rolled over on my back and stared up at the ceiling. Where was I? I thought before remembering I was no longer at home in Busan, but instead in a prestigious academy miles away.

My brain began to hurt the more I thought, so I decided to stop as I sat up as slowly as possible. When I did so, I noticed the clock placed delicately on the desk in between the two beds in the room. My eyes widened in alarm when I realized the time. I was late!

With a huff, I pulled myself off and stumbled towards the door. As prestigious as this place was, they still had the whole group bathroom thing. At least this hall was full of males. The bathroom was rightfully empty and I quickly settled in, turning the water on and getting inside.

I took my time, figuring that if I was late, rushing wouldn’t make any difference. After my shower, I went through the methods of cleaning myself and then getting dressed before trying to find my classroom.

It was a bit harder considering my hangover was just beginning to leave. When I walked into the room, I noted that the teacher didn’t even bat a lash at my arrival. Instead, he continued with the lesson as I found an empty seat.

Once I was seated, I found myself looking around, taking in the other members of the Magical Ward. I knew there weren’t many conductors, but there were plenty other options available by following this route. I, however, was fully set on becoming a conductor.

Shaking my head, I pulled myself out of my thoughts and focused on the class. I wondered why it was the teacher didn’t acknowledge my late arrival. Maybe it was something the school didn’t think much about. It cost too much to miss a class really, but then again, I was on a scholarship and as long as my grades were nice, I would be fine. My thoughts drifted off as I wondered if I could be late to all of my classes.

An hour later and I was sitting in front of my conducting teacher. He was a tall man and he looked intimidating. He was glaring down at me and I had a feeling it was because I had been late. It hadn’t been intentional, not this time around. I’d gotten lost and had to ask for directions. My teacher didn’t seem to care about excuses though. I had a feeling he’d work me to the bone if I continued to be late.

Instead of doling out a punishment, he just looked at me disapprovingly before turning away. “Kim Byungjoo, I expect better from a prodigy, but luck is on your side. I sent my other student out on an errand. When he returns, lessons can begin. Until then, why don’t you show me something?” Professor Shim requested. I nodded and Professor Shim sat down, one leg lifting over the other as he watched me prepare.

I took a breath and felt my power begin to rise up. I twirled my hand and relaxed when my power surged, my center appearing. Professor Shim didn’t bat a lash as my center surrounded me, massive spheres appearing behind me, a warm amber color that glowed a bit. My control area appeared immediately after and I began conducting. As I did so, Professor Shim just watched, his expression completely void of emotion. However, I was confident in my abilities and I knew I could impress him. As I finished, golden cubes appeared around me, a little flare I’d created a few months ago. I was a bit of a show off and it showed.

When I finished, my center disappeared and Professor Shim stood up, clapping gently. “Very nice Byungjoo, I can see why you’re a prodigy.” He commented. Despite his professional expression, his voice showed that I had done well, that I’d impressed him. Maybe he’ll forget about my being late. Before I could ask him if he wanted to hear something else, Professor Shim looked over my shoulder.

“Ah, you’ve returned.” Professor Shim commented. I turned and was quite surprised to see Hansol standing there. He looked pretty much the same as last night, just less angry. In fact, his facial expression was as blank as Professor Shim’s. Was that going to be a recurring thing?

“Professor Park sends her thanks.” Hansol informed the professor who merely nodded. “Byungjoo, this is Hansol. You will be sharing your lessons with him unless private lessons are needed. Hansol, this is Byungjoo, the famed prodigy of Busan.” Hansol looked me over, but he didn’t look impressed in the least. He didn’t even bother speaking to me before he moved to take a seat, every move precise and calculated. What was with this guy?


	3. Chapter 3

The lesson with Professor Shim was pretty simple. He showed us performances by other conductors, powerful ones who worked at theaters in Seoul. They were interesting I guess, but I was more of a freestyle type of conductor. Throughout the entire lesson, Hansol didn’t spare me a single glance. When I asked a question, he didn’t even seem to hear me.

When Professor Shim turned to me to speak, Hansol’s gaze remained set on the professor. Whenever he did look at me, it seemed more like he was looking through me instead of at me. I was relieved when the lesson ended.

Hansol bowed respectfully to Professor Shim before he turned and left the room. I was promptly ignored. I looked after him, wondering what made him dislike me so much before I decided to shrug it off. Not everyone here was meant to be my friend. Professor Shim dismissed me and I was on my way, wondering what lunch would be like.

As it turns out, lunch involved Hojoon and quite a few of his friends, some of which, included the murderous duo. Hansol and Xero were seated in between Seogoong and Gohn, but they didn’t look as scary as they did last night.

Instead, they were talking to each other and ignoring everyone else besides Gohn who didn’t seem to be the type to be ignored. I watched curiously, wondering what the dynamics of that group was. I mean, Gohn mentioned that Hansol’s emotions influenced Xero’s, but it seemed that Gohn was the leader of their little group, truly interesting.

“You’re staring.” Someone commented. I blinked and turned, meeting the gaze of another red head. Where were they getting the dye for all this? The boy looked like he was older than me, but something told me he wasn’t. He appraised me slowly, with a thoughtful expression as he did so. “My name’s Sanggyun by the way. I prefer A-Tom though.” I didn’t even want to know why that was, but I introduced myself nonetheless.

“What are you in here for?” I asked him. “You make it sound this is a prison.” A-Tom commented calmly before he turned towards his salad. “Take it as you will.” I replied. “I already did. I’m a Knight by the way, or at least, training to be one.” He commented smoothly, completely focused on the salad he had brought to the table.

“Really? I’ve never met a Knight before.” I replied. A-Tom turned to look at me again, and I noticed that he had really nice eyebrows, even when one lifted in amusement. “You’re sitting across from two others.” He stated.

I turned and caught the gaze of someone who looked like he was a senior. He also looked quite intimidating, until he smiled anyway. “I’m Hyosang,” the guy said, nudging the Knight next to him, “but everyone calls me Kidoh. This here is Yooncheol, but Nakta’s easier to say.” Camel? I guess I could see it.

I introduced myself and Kidoh was all smiles while Nakta simply turned away. He’d been texting someone before Kidoh interrupted him. “So, who is that?” I asked, nodding towards the guy seated beside Kidoh. He looked upset, his expression set in a scowl. He had dark hair and one of his eyebrows had two cuts in them. I could tell, just from looking, that he wasn’t one to mess with.

“That’s our leader, Sehyuk. Call him P-Goon if you know what’s good for you.” A-Tom replied airily. I don’t know what it was, but I liked A-Tom’s attitude. Nothing seemed to faze him and he took everything in stride. He would be a good friend, I could tell.

“Why does he look so angry?” I asked, wondering if he could hear me. I mean, he wasn’t that far from me, but it looked like he was in his own world. “He misses his friend.” A-Tom shrugged, but from the tenseness that suddenly showed in P-Goon’s shoulders, I realized two things. One, was that he could hear us perfectly fine, and two, the topic wasn’t as simple as A-Tom made it sound.

My curiosity wouldn’t allow me to listen to my gut, so I asked anyway. “Where is he?” A-Tom turned to look at me, almost bored as he gaze ran over my figure. “What ward are you in?” he asked instead. I was a bit confused by the change in subject, but decided to go with the flow. “The Musical Ward. I want to be a Conductor.” At this, A-Tom’s expression changed. Instead of the nonchalantly bored expression he’d had since I noticed him, he looked intrigued.

“Really? Not many Conductors out here.” I already knew that considering Professor Shim only had two students. Then again, I think it had something to do with focusing on his students to see how they improve. Multiple centers in one room probably wasn’t a good idea, especially if they couldn’t control themselves.

“I know.” I replied. “You know, your ward is one of the easiest to go dark.” He mentioned it in such a bored tone, as if he were inquiring about the weather, that it gave me pause. “The big three that can go dark at the tip of a hat are Wizards, especially the musically inclined, Lions, and,” A-Tom paused and I saw him glance at P-Goon who was talking to Kidoh, “Dragons.” He finished, and just that simple word explained a lot.

 It told me that P-Goon was a dragon and that his friend, also a dragon, must’ve went dark, which explained why he missed him. What did confuse me however, is why he brought up lions specifically. They were a part of the Shifter Ward, but A-Tom mentioned them specifically. For some reason, it made me think of Gohn who, at the moment, was making Hansol feed him.

Hansol, who actually looked amused, happily obliged the other. However, there was also Seogoong, who informed me of his shifting ability last night before I got wasted, but he seemed too easygoing. He reminded me a lot of A-Tom actually, nonchalant and taking everything in stride.


	4. Chapter 4

The following weeks followed a rhythm. In the morning I’d stumble out of my room, behind schedule and proud of it. My teacher never said a word and I was beginning to realize they didn’t care. It was kind of like college, if you don’t arrive, it’s a personal problem because they’re still getting paid. However, I still did well, and my grades never went low enough to get noticed. In the afternoon, I’d have lessons with Professor Shim and Hansol.

He was still as cold as ever and I noticed that it carried into his center. The way he summoned his center was forced and precise, his hand basically forming claws as the room dropped in temperature. His powers were a blue color, almost like ice. His spheres were sharp at the bottom, like crystalized icicles.

The center itself looked sharp and dangerous, as if one touch could harm someone. The way he moved was precise and exact and I noticed that although he was passionate, he was detached as well. His expression never changed from the smooth blank mask of a focused individual. Lightning and small diamond shaped crystals surrounded his center as he worked, something I had never seen before.

I thought his work was amazing, but Professor Shim wasn’t impressed. I think that this was a long term thing because every time Hansol finished, Professor Shim would point out that he didn’t put enough emotion into it.

Hansol would glare at the floor and nod, but he wouldn’t speak. Whatever he had to say, Professor Shim probably wouldn’t listen anyway. I also noticed that Professor Shim seemed to use me against Hansol. I don’t think it was intentional, but I noticed the comparison he started doing, and I was well aware Hansol noticed as well if the glares I received meant anything.

After that, it’d be lunch where I learned more about the nine boys sitting around the table, well, the seven boys. Xero and Hansol didn’t seem to like me very much, but I don’t think it was me as a person they didn’t like, but me as a Conductor.

A-Tom informed me that it was really hard for either one of them to let anyone in and the fact that I was Hansol’s competition, something I was realizing every lesson we had together, made it even worse. It wasn’t until the night of a competition that I tried to talk to Hansol, something I’d been too nervous to do. He was pretty intimidating all things considered.

We were backstage, awaiting Professor Shim’s judgment. Only one of us could perform tonight and that decision was up to our teacher. Hansol was staring at the floor blankly, his hands in his lap. He wasn’t looking at me, and he didn’t look up when I sat down next to him.

“Look,” I began, keeping my voice low. “I know you don’t like me but, can I at least say something?” for a minute, it seemed as if Hansol hadn’t heard me, but he slowly turned his head, side eying me. He still had that blank expression a lot of people at this academy seemed to have mastered, but I could tell that he was nervous. It was in the way he played with the rings on his fingers and the way the temperature around him kept changing.

Seeing as it was obvious he was listening, I continued. “You’re really good at this, like amazingly good, but you don’t put any emotion in it.” At this, Hansol’s hands turned into fists and I quickly back pedaled.

“I’m not trying to be like Professor Shim, I just mean that I can see the potential you have and how great you could be if you’d just stop being so detached.” Hansol turned and I could see that even though I meant well, he wasn’t taking it that way at all.

“You can see my potential?” Hansol scoffed and I wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but I steeled myself for anything. “Should I feel amazed? The oh so great prodigy recognizes my potential, how honoring. What do you know? Honestly? You don’t have to work as hard as I do. All you have to do is wave your finger and everyone is bending over backwards for you, giving you a standing ovation.”

Hansol paused and I had never seen someone look so angry. What actually worried me was how quickly it disappeared and he put his mask back on. “I ask of you to never give me advice again.” He informed me quietly, his calm tone and demeanor unsettling me. I nodded and looked away, aware that I had made things even worse.

Professor Shim chose that time to return and I turned towards him, half dreading whatever he was going to say. My stomach sank when Professor Shim announced that I would be performing. I had barely been here a month and already he was making me perform. I vividly remember Gohn explaining that the reason Hansol had been so uptight was because of an upcoming performance, this performance, and I had just taken it away from him.

Hansol however, didn’t seem as affected as I knew he was. He looked as calm as the ocean’s surface as Professor Shim gestured for me to get up. I was hesitant and feeling a bit sick to my stomach. At this rate, Hansol would hate me if he didn’t already. As I headed toward the stage, I glanced behind me. Hansol was there, but his mask was no longer on.

However, he didn’t look angry. He looked heartbroken and scared. I didn’t know why he looked scared, but the anguish on his face actually hurt me, but there was nothing I could do. Hansol’s expression cleared as immediately as it showed and he turned away, no longer having a reason to be backstage. Although my stomach had dropped down to my feet, I decided to do my best. If Hansol couldn’t perform, then I would do my best, which was easy enough. 


	5. Chapter 5

After the performance, Hojoon insisted on going to Seogoong’s party. I agreed, but I had a feeling there’d be some animosity there. However, I was wrong. Hansol and Xero were there with Gohn making sure they stayed, but they didn’t even seem to notice I existed.

I was swooped up into the crowd far away from them anyway, and before I knew it, people were asking me to play something for them. Being confident in my control over my center, I decided to oblige them.

I wanted to impress them, something I’m sure I already did by being a prodigy at all, but I wanted to back up the title. I felt like I had something to prove and as I played I realized it wasn’t them I wanted to impress. The person I wanted to impress most likely hated my guts, but I could only do what I knew how to do. As I turned to see if he was still there, as discreetly as possible of course, I saw that he wasn’t anywhere in the room.

Both Hansol and Xero had disappeared and I knew it was my fault. I stopped playing a little bit later, no longer seeing the point. I didn’t feel the need to impress the people who didn’t even understand the art. They enjoyed what was given to them anyway.

I moved away from the crowd a little later, my mind a bit clustered with all my thoughts. I ended up sitting on the balcony that technically wasn’t supposed to exist. I was alone for all of three minutes before Gohn sat down next to me.

“You were really good in there.” He complimented me easily, his voice as cheerful as could be. “Thanks.” Gohn tilted his head, probably wondering why I didn’t sound as pleased as I probably should. “What’s the problem?” he asked, suddenly seeming like an older brother.

“I took Hansol’s performance.” I told him. “I know.” I turned to look at him, very surprised. He laughed at my expression, but he sobered up quickly. “I was expecting my little cousin to perform, imagine my surprise when you walked on stage.” “Your cousin?” I asked.

“Hansol. He’s my baby cousin, feels like he’s my brother though.” He mused softly, looking up. “Shouldn’t you hate me then?” “Why?” Gohn asked, turning back towards me. “I took his performance, something he’d probably been working on for months to perfect, and I just walked in and took it from him.”

“You didn’t take anything from Hansol. He was the best conductor in training here, and now he’s one of the best.” Gohn shrugged. “Hansol figured Professor Shim would pick you, but he’s competitive and he has a lot of pressure on him to do well. He’s bothered that you performed instead of him, but either way, it wouldn’t have ended well.” I blinked, surprised at how forthcoming Gohn was with information, but I needed to know more.

“Why?” I asked. Gohn sighed and I thought he was going to close up, but he didn’t. “Hansol is the seventh musically inclined wizard in our family. The six before him were the best and if I named them, you’d recognize every single one.

“So, it’s expected of Hansol to be perfect, to outshine the six before him. Hansol’s young, very young, but he’s had this pressure on him since he first summoned his center when he was two. Immediately after that, his life was planned and there was nothing he could do to change that. He’s had to be an adult years before he was ready. His parents are pretty anal about his every performance and yet even when he gets the best medal they have, they’re never satisfied with his work.

“They expect more, they always do, and they never give him any praise. You being here means that they’re just going to up the ante. They’re going to expect Hansol to beat you, which he won’t.” I stared in surprise, bewildered that Gohn believed his own cousin would lose to me.

Gohn saw my facial expression and laughed, but it was bitter. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s true. Hansol has forgotten how to enjoy what he does, it’s all just a job to him. You still enjoy it enough to make music just because you feel like it.

“Everything Hansol creates is picked apart mercilessly by his parents and everyone around him. He can’t enjoy something that stresses him out so much. I can’t even remember when he used to like making music. And now, instead of creating things like he’s supposed to, Hansol, he destroys them. Do you know what that sounds like?” Gohn asked, looking me dead in my eye.

“A dark wizard.” I whispered. “Exactly. Hansol is on a thin line, he’s been toeing this line since the beginning really and it’s only a matter of time before he,” Gohn stopped and he stared at his hands before shaking his head.

“Well, you understand. Don’t take it too personally. It’s hard for Hansol to trust anyone, they usually want something from him in the end or they leave.” Gohn explained.  “Since you’re being so honest with me, what’s up with Xero? Does he hate me by association?” I asked. At this, Gohn let out a long breath. “Xero, now that’s destruction from the start.” His smile was sad but I knew he was going to tell me.

“Xero, he’s a wizard but he didn’t align with music. Instead, he aligned with ice.” Gohn explained. That explained his cold nature, something associated with all Ice Wizards. “But Xero, he comes from a long line of Dark Wizards therefore he’s been toeing the line even before he was born.”

“Then why is he here?” I asked in confusion. Dark Wizards for the most part didn’t care for going to school. They usually had a mentor who was a dark wizard as well and eventually went out on their own.

“He’s here because of Hansol,” Gohn said. His smile was warmer now that he was thinking about something positive, whatever that was. “Hansol’s not as uptight as he looks. He’s actually pretty vulnerable and childish. Honestly, he’s still a child, or at least a teenager considering he never got to experience what it was like.

“He doesn’t really care for people’s opinions on who he should associate himself with. You see, no one wanted to be friends with Xero. His parents have a history of murder and the children of those families took it out on him. Hansol saved his life from some bullies who were literally beating him to death.

“Imagine Hansol, all squeaky voiced and as scared as Xero was, stepping up to school kids two times his size. But then again, Hansol had to deal with his parents, so those students were nothing. They were unnerved by him and they left. After that, Hansol and Xero were never apart and you can’t separate them even if you tried. Really, they’re the reason neither one of them have went dark yet.” Gohn finished, and he seemed awfully amused.

“Where do you come in then?” I asked, curious. “Me? I’m just Hansol’s cousin.” He laughed warmly. “I force them to interact with the others in hope that they’ll open up more, back away from the line they’re standing on. I know it’s late, but I want Hansol to experience the life he’s missed out on. It worked at first, but now they just prefer each other.”

“What happened?” I asked. “I’ve told you a lot already, and it’s getting late. Maybe another time.” Gohn was all smiles, but it didn’t meet his eyes. I decided to go with it and stood up, Gohn doing the same a moment later. “Thank you,” I said, smiling up at him.

“Not a problem. Hansol can be really intense and he’s focusing some of his anger on you, and I know it’s unfair for you to have to be his outlet, but he’s not always like that. I wanted you to know that not all of us are almost falling over the deep end.” Gohn patted my back before heading inside.

After that talk, I decided to call it a night and head to my room. I had class tomorrow and a lot of information to take in.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day in our lesson, I found myself watching Hansol instead of actually paying attention. He looked like he normally did as he paid attention to Professor Shim’s lecture. I tried to picture him as a tiny child with a voice lighter than the one I’d only heard a few times. It was an interesting image honestly. If Hansol noticed me staring at him, he didn’t do anything about it, but I noticed that Hansol seemed to really want Professor Shim to compliment him.

Considering what I’d learn the night before, he doesn’t get compliments much if at all, so it was understandable that he’d find someone to give it to him. Personally, I didn’t think Professor Shim was the right person to pick, but Hansol obviously didn’t have much to choose from.

What brought me out of my thoughts was Professor Shim’s announcement. “I want the two of you to go against each other.” I blinked and turned away from Hansol, eyes wide. “What?” I asked. Hansol looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Byungjoo, you may be a prodigy but that doesn’t mean I’ll repeat myself for you.” Professor Shim announced. “But we shouldn’t have to go against each other.” I tried to look for any reason to not have to go against Hansol. I had a really bad feeling about it.

Professor Shim wasn’t hearing it. Before I knew it, Hansol and I were in the gym. Hansol was just standing there, his arms at his side and a bored yet very detached expression on his face. I moved to where I was supposed to be and Professor Shim told us to begin. I held my hand out, curling it slowly as I summoned my center. When everything was ready, I took a deep breath and began.

Throughout the performance, I could tell that Hansol wasn’t putting any emotion into it, or at least none that would give his music that boost it needed. It made me wonder if there had been a time where he made things from his heart instead of his mind.

If he did, his parents must’ve discouraged him from doing it ever again. At some point, Hansol’s expression changed, but I didn’t know why. He wasn’t looking at me, but instead staring at something over my shoulder and he lost his concentration.

If I hadn’t been paying attention, I wouldn’t have noticed, and Hansol forced himself to focus. However, I could tell that his movements, albeit more precise, seemed more desperate. Who was here? What had made Hansol lose his focus?

I pushed those thoughts away and finished my piece, not surprised when Professor Shim didn’t clap or compliment either one of us. Hansol didn’t look nervous, but he was playing with the rings on his fingers, and that gave him away.

I turned to see what was making him so nervous only to see two adults coming forward. It was easy to see that they were Hansol’s parents. He looked more like his mother. He probably learned that whole blank mask thing from them considering neither of them had a set expression. If anything, they looked disappointed in a detached way.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kim.” Professor Shim bowed to the two as Hansol made his way towards his parents. His father placed a hand on Hansol’s shoulder and although it looked like basic contact, Hansol’s eyes narrowed and he squeezed his hands together tightly.

“Is this the prodigy?” the man asked, his gaze never leaving my face. “It is. This is Kim Byungjoo.” Professor Shim introduced me. “Byungjoo, this is Mr. Kim. He owns the theater in the city.” I nodded and bowed to the other man who didn’t even bat a lash.

“So, you’ll be the one Hansol goes against.” The man mused. My eyebrow rose and I looked between Professor Shim and Mr. Kim. “I wasn’t aware of anything like that.” I murmured, looking to Professor Shim for answers. Professor Shim’s lips tightened, but he nodded.

“Although you joined the school at the end of the year, you’re still able to join the Grand Performance. Usually, the school would choose just one conductor in training, we thought it would be interesting to see a little competition.” Professor Shim explained.

I looked at Hansol who was staring at the floor, his fists clenched tightly and his jaw clenched just as tight. I had a feeling he had no idea this was going to happen.

I left the gym immediately after, not wanting to see the pinched expression on Hansol’s expression and the hungry expressions on his parents. I couldn’t stand it. I didn’t go very far, instead choosing to lean against the wall and just take a breather.

I hadn’t been in there with those people for more than ten minutes and already I felt off, and Hansol was raised by them. I stared up at the sky, wondering what had made me come to this school. Sure it was a nice school, a beautiful campus with strong teachers, but I was a prodigy. I could pick any school I wanted, so why did I choose this one?

As my thoughts drifted, I got the feeling that I wasn’t alone. “My little cousin has got it hard.” A unique voice muttered. I looked up, wondering if Gohn was messing with me by changing his voice, but the man leaning against the wall was not Gohn. Not even close.

His arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall. He was decked out in all black, the silver chain around his neck and the silver lions on his jacket were the only other color. “Who are you?” I asked, a little scared. There was something off about him, and I had the feeling I was in the company of someone who wasn’t on the good side.

The guy looked up and met my gaze, his eyes were bottomless and they freaked me out more than it should have. “Me? My name’s Taeyang, people call me Jenissi. You’re the prodigy right?” he hummed slightly at my nod. “Who were you talking about?” I asked when he showed no signs of speaking. Jenissi’s eyebrow lifted and his head tilted ever so slightly in confusion.

“You were talking about your cousin.” I murmured. “Ah right. He’s fighting a lot of demons, he doesn’t need to be going against a prodigy. Poor thing, close to falling over the edge.” Hansol. He was talking about Hansol. How many cousins did Hansol even have?

“How did you know?” I asked. Jenissi smiled, but it looked more like he was baring his teeth at me. “I keep very close tabs on my baby cousin.” The way he said it made it seem like he was waiting for something to happen. “Do you, do you go here?” I asked a little nervously. I was starting to realize why his presence bothered me so much.

“I used to.” He shrugged and smirked. “But being good is lame.” He ruffled his jacket before turning towards me. “You ever think about becoming a dark wizard?” he asked suddenly. I blinked at the change of topic, but I didn’t even need to think about it. Jenissi could tell.

“Sucks, it’d be cool to see what a prodigy could do, but my baby cousin has more potential. Do me a favor?” my mind was spinning with the information Jenissi was giving me that I could only nod, not really aware of it. What was it with shifters, or at least that’s what he looked like, giving out so much information like it was nothing and expecting everyone to just accept it easily?

“There’s a dragon here, name’s Sehyuk, tell him the offer still stands. And be a good sport and tell the lions their family misses them. Be easy prodigy.” Jenissi patted my shoulder a little harder than necessary and from his touch I could tell that he was definitely a very bad person. I couldn’t even say anything before he disappeared, leaving wisps of black smoke in his wake.

I needed to tell the others, and fast.


	7. Chapter 7

“Yeah, that was Jenissi.” Kidoh was the first to speak after I’d told them what happened earlier. The seven of them had been stunned into silence when I told them who I met, and I had a feeling all of them knew who this Jenissi was.

“I guess it’s time to tell you that story,” Gohn said after a while. If anything, Gohn, Seogoong, and P-Goon looked like they were affected the most. I guess it was because of the message Jenissi asked me to pass on. “The story about why Hansol and Xero don’t trust anyone?” I asked. “That’s part of it, yeah. Sit down.” I did as I was told and Gohn began.

“A few years ago, there were twelve of us,” Gohn began, gesturing to the other six. Xero and Hansol weren’t there. Gohn informed me that Hansol’s parents wanted to spend the day with him and my heart went out to him. At least he had Xero.

“But there was bad blood in and between our Wards. As you know, Xero comes from a family full of Dark Wizards and he’s not the only one. Jenissi, the one you met and my cousin, comes from a family of Dark Shifters. However, our family disowned him and no one really talked to him except Hansol and I.

“Then there’s Yano, he’s the youngest and a lion as well. His family are notorious for being dark shifters. He met us and he had some semblance of good in him. However, there’s always a breaking point and it involved the Knights.

“It wasn’t their fault, or at least, not entirely,” Gohn explained even though the three of them looked extremely guilty. “It’s in their nature to right wrongs and things like that. Whatever the case may be, there was an altercation between Jenissi and Kidoh and that was Jenissi’s breaking point. He went dark, and Yano went right behind him.

“The other member who went dark is Sangdo. He’s a dragon like P-Goon is. Although he was best friends with P-Goon, he was really close to the other two, he felt responsible for them, so he went with, if only to take care of them.” “So where does Xero and Hansol come in?” I asked, feeling as if I’d missed something. Gohn smiled, the epitome of patience, but it was Seogoong who spoke up.

“Xero and Hansol were very close with them. Considering their background and what was expected of them, they all clicked and stuck together. Don’t get me wrong, we love and care for them just like brothers, but we couldn’t relate to them like the others could.

“However, when they went bad, Xero and Hansol didn’t go with them. They were close to changing, but Gohn stopped them.” He finished, looking at the other lion warmly. “What did he mean about P-Goon hyung though?” at this, it got a little quiet and I was surprised when P-Goon spoke.

“I was going to go.” He answered simply and calmly as if admitting he was going to go dark was a simple affair. Maybe it was in this group. “Why?” I asked. “Sangdo’s my best friend, he’s kind of like what Hansol is to Xero. He’s really important to me, and I was going to, but Sangdo made me stay. He made me realize that I had a group to take care of.” He finished.

“Why would he make you stay? Wouldn’t it be better for them if you changed?”

“Of course it would. But Sangdo went with them of his own free will. He hadn’t changed when he made me stay, made me realize that if I didn’t look out for these guys, we’d all lose it. Sangdo’s dark now, so naturally he’ll want me to come with him, but I know it’s because of the darkness that’s taken over, not what he really wants.” P-Goon sounded solemn, as if this conversation was the last thing he wanted, and I could understand why.

“Jenissi kept bringing up Hansol,” I trailed off, unsure of what question to ask to get them talking. “Not many musical wizards go dark, or at least not many that have any value. You’re a conductor yourself, or at least in training, you know what you can do. Good Musical Wizards can build things if they so choose, but Dark Wizards destroy.

“Having a Musical Wizard on their team, and one as strong as Hansol, could be deadly. Hansol has a lot of potential as you know and as of late, it hasn’t been used positively. Besides, if Hansol changes, then,” Seogoong trailed off and I noticed that he shot a glance at Gohn who had suddenly found the ground extremely interesting.

“If Hansol changes, then a few others will follow.” A-Tom finished, unbothered by the weight of his words. I knew they definitely meant Xero, but who else would go with Hansol? Were they talking about Gohn? As if he’d heard my thoughts, Gohn looked up and his gaze met mine.

“You’d go?” I asked. Gohn tensed ever so slightly. “I hope to never have to make a decision such as that.” He finally answered, and I was aware that there was a good chance he’d follow Hansol if he had to choose. “If Jenissi is showing up, then you might have to make a decision Gohn,” Kidoh said.

He didn’t sound angry at all, merely stating a fact. I got the feeling all knights had that nonchalant factor about them. They didn’t add their emotion to what they said. Then again, knights were known for their factual way of thinking.

“Jenissi, no matter how dark he is, will always care for his cousin. He knows what Hansol has to go through, and just like me, he wants a better life for him. It just happens that Jenissi is also aware of Hansol’s potential.” Gohn sounded defensive and I knew this was a touchy subject.

“I’m more worried about the upcoming competition.” I wanted them to change the subject, there was no way I’d allow my friends to start arguing over a topic I brought up. “What competition?” Nakta asked in confusion. “The Grand Performance.”

“But there won’t be a competition there. It’s just to show off the talent of the Wards,” P-Goon said. “The faculty thinks it’d be a good idea for Hansol and I to go against each other. Hansol’s parents and Professor Shim seem to agree.” I noticed how quiet things got and Gohn buried his face in his hands. “Shit, this isn’t good,” he said as he rubbed his face hard.

“What are we going to do about it?” A-Tom asked. “There isn’t much we can do. We just have to hope Hansol’s parents don’t push him overboard.” P-Goon replied, but from the look on Gohn’s face, I knew that following that plan of action wouldn’t work well.


	8. Chapter 8

Three days after that discussion, I found myself watching Hansol. I knew he didn’t know I was there, and I got to see him without his mask on. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept since he found out we’d be competing in the Grand Performance just a few weeks away.

It was almost midnight and Hansol hadn’t stopped practicing, and the room showed his efforts. The room was a mess, floor boards ripped out of the ground and shattered glass. Hansol was pushing himself too hard, anymore and he would give out. I knew I was the last person he wanted to see, so I didn’t try to interrupt.

Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to just talk to him, to inform him that this isn’t what I wanted either. I knew it wouldn’t do me any good, but it was working on my conscious. I watched him for a few more minutes before I turned and walked away. I found myself knocking on Seogoong’s door and he let me in immediately.

“How can I help you?” he asked as I sat down. “I don’t know what to do.” I informed him, placing my chin in my hand. “About what?” he asked calmly. “The Grand Performance.” Seogoong hummed softly and tapped his chin.

“How much does it mean to you?” he asked suddenly. I bit my lip, thinking it over. “The performance itself? Not much. I just want to impress Hansol. He thinks that just because I’m a prodigy, I don’t really work for what I have, and I want to prove him wrong, show him that I deserve his approval.” I answered. Seogoong thought it over before nodding.

“I’m not really good at giving advice Byungjoo but honestly, I think you should just do the right thing,” he finally said. “Do the right thing?” “Yes. Whatever you think is right, do it. You don’t really owe Hansol anything and if you really want to show him that you truly work for what you have, then throwing the performance wouldn’t show that. Do the right thing Byungjoo.”

Seogoong’s advice went through my mind for the rest of the day and a few days after. I was actually thinking about his advice when I bumped into Xero. I was surprised for multiple reasons. The first being that Hansol wasn’t with him, the second was how tired Xero looked, and the third was how utterly cold his skin was.

I hadn’t noticed the first time I ran into him because our contact had been brief and he’d been wearing a jacket. This time, there was skin for me to come into contact with and I came to the conclusion that he needed to warm up, and fast.

This time, I didn’t fall or anything like that, and Xero didn’t glare at me. He looked preoccupied and tired and it seemed like he was looking through me. “Are you okay?” I asked him cautiously, unsure of his reaction to me. Xero blinked, but his eyes didn’t focus on me at all, which worried me a little.

“Just tired.” Xero replied, his words a little slurred. He did look really tired. Rings were beginning to appear under his eyes and he wobbled a little even as he stood still. What the hell was wrong with him? Before I could inquire about it, Xero seemed to have a more lucid moment. His eyes finally focused on my face, but he still didn’t look angry, so maybe he wasn’t as lucid as I thought.

“I’m sure we could’ve been friends,” he said. My brain blanked out in its surprise and Xero smiled before he walked around me, patting me on the shoulder as he went. He was extremely cold, and my mind couldn’t let go of the hesitant warmth his eyes held before he left. I turned around to get another glimpse of him, to make sure he hadn’t passed out in the hallway or something. Xero wasn’t there.

He had disappeared almost as immediately as he had appeared. Had I made that up? It seemed truly unlikely that Xero would ever be nice to me as long as Hansol viewed me as competition, but the feel of his cold hand on my shoulder wasn’t something I could make up.

The night of the Grand Performance was rapidly growing closer. I hadn’t seen any signs of Hansol or Xero. I had even went to Professor Shim who had given us the time to prepare for the Grand Performance. He said he hadn’t seen him since he left with his parents the night he’d announced this whole idiotic idea.

Were we the only ones who noticed how close to switching sides Hansol was? We must be considering the school kept pushing him and his parents weren’t helping at all. I actually looked around for them too. Hansol could hate me as much as he wanted as long as he was within the vicinity and not in the company of someone who wanted him to embrace the darkness surely swirling around his head.

In my search for him, I found myself encountering Jenissi again. I had been completely unprepared for it considering the fact that I wasn’t expecting him to answer Hansol’s door. When he saw me, he was all smiles as he got me to enter the room. When I did, I noticed it was freezing in there.

However, I did notice that the room actually contained things that showed that Hansol could be happy. Jenissi didn’t stop me from looking at the multiple pictures of Xero and Hansol, being as happy as could be. There were plenty with the other members here and I saw quite a few when it was all twelve of them.

I couldn’t even imagine Hansol smiling as widely as he did in these pictures. He looked much younger, childlike even. Hansol still had a baby face, but with all the pressure on his shoulders, it looked like he had lost weight.

“You see the difference in him too don’t you?” Jenissi asked. I jumped slightly, forgetting the man was still there. When I turned, he was sitting on what I assumed to be Hansol’s bed. He had covers on it that matched his center, but it was interesting to note that teddy bears decorated his bed. Jenissi had a lion teddy bear resting in his lap and I could tell it meant something to him.

“He was so happy.” I replied. “Even then he had the pressure of his parents breathing down the back of his neck, expecting perfection, but we were there with him. It took some of the edge off.” Jenissi mused. “But you left him.” I replied. The glare Jenissi directed at me gave me pause and it made me remember that he was a dark shifter.

“I didn’t want to leave my cousin. Neither one of them. I wanted them to come with, but Gohn stopped it.” Jenissi almost sounded sad, but there was still some detachment. Did that run in their family? “Can’t you come back and be with your cousins again? They both miss you.” Jenissi tilted his head and I saw his mask drop for a second. He missed his family.

“The others don’t want me back.” He murmured, almost as if I wasn’t supposed to have heard that. “Besides, it won’t take long before I have my cousins back. My uncle is close to pushing Hansol off the edge and when he does, I’ll be there to catch him.” “You don’t like your uncle?” I asked. “Honestly? I hate every member of my family sans two.

“Dongsung and Hansol are the only ones in my family that matter. All the others are weak.” He replied. “Wait, you only want them for power?” “Did I say that?” he shot back. I looked him over, getting nothing but mixed signals.

 Maybe it was because that’s what he was. The good side of him, albeit barely there, wanted to protect his cousins and figured he could only do that if they joined him. The bad side of him, the one that had taken control long ago, wanted them for the power they could bring him and the others.

“You know, before you came I thought I’d have to go to extreme measures to get my cousins.” He mused softly, lifting his hand to investigate his nails. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Hansol tolerates his family, albeit just barely, because of the others especially Gohn and Xero. However, with you, little prodigy, in his father’s line of sight, he won’t be able to handle the pressure they’ll put on him. They’ll demand more than perfection and poor little Hansol who is rightfully terrified of his father, will do anything to please him.

“Even if it means hurting himself in the process. It’s happened before, just never to this degree. You bring out the greed in my uncle even more than usual prodigy, and nothing will please him more than his blood beating you, even if his son doesn’t survive it.”

I was horrified by Jenissi’s statement, but I could tell he wasn’t lying to me. Suddenly, Jenissi stood up and smirked at me. “Well, I’m honest when I say that I always enjoy our conversations, but I have to go.” He moved towards me and placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing just a little too hard.

“Break a leg prodigy, I mean it,” he said, and his eyes flashed completely black for a second before he, once again, disappeared in a wisp of smoke. “My name is Byungjoo,” I said to the empty room. I got the feeling that although, in a sense, I was helping him win his cousins over, it still bothered him that my unintentional method was hurting one of them.


	9. Chapter 9

This was it. It was time. I had watched multiple people show the massive crowd what they had learned in the year they’d just finished. Seeing as so many people had come, it was being held in Mr. Kim’s theater. Said theater was massive and I could tell he was preening from all the compliments that flowed in about it.

I wasn’t all that interested, but my mind was more focused on Hansol. I hadn’t seen a single sign of him at all, it was as if he and Xero had disappeared off the planet. Gohn seemed on edge lately considering he had no idea where his baby cousin was.

It was amazing how protective he was and I tacked it on to being a lion thing. However, neither wizard showed up, but I knew he would be here tonight. His parents wouldn’t allow him to miss out on tonight. I just had to find him.

It took me a while, but when I did, I wish I hadn’t. He was with his father and judging their stances, nothing good was happening. I edged closer, realizing they were too absorbed in their conversation to actually notice my existence so it was easy to get within hearing range.

“You beat that prodigy Hansol,” his father said coldly, glaring at Hansol who was pressed against the wall. “Do you understand me? Everyone seems to have forgotten that we hail from Busan as well, and you will do better than him. You will beat him, whatever it takes, do you understand?” Hansol nodded meekly and his father slammed his hand against the wall on the side of Hansol’s head, making the boy jump.

“Do you understand me?” he asked, significantly louder. “Yes sir, whatever it takes.” Hansol repeated, and I could tell that he was terrified of his father, just like Jenissi said. “Good. Now go get dressed, your performance is in ten minutes.”

And with that, as if he hadn’t just scared the wits out of his child, he turned and stormed away. Hansol stood there for a second before he turned and followed after the older Kim, heading in the opposite direction of where I stood.

I was absolutely disgusted by the older man and worried for the younger. I couldn’t see him very well considering I could only see his profile, but he looked tired and as if he’d lost weight. In that moment, I truly hated this entire idea and the people who came up with it. Couldn’t they just let us be colleagues instead of rivals?

Did this school get off on breaking their students and making them think of going dark? That’s exactly what they were doing. I shook my head and turned away, wondering what I was going to do. If Gohn was on edge, then Hansol was teetering on that line and what happened tonight would most likely change lives.

I didn’t want to do this. In fact, I regretted coming to this school at all. Sure I enjoyed the friends I made, but in a way that was entirely not my fault, I was ruining someone’s life. Someone I could’ve probably get along with if we didn’t have the same goals in mind, or at least similar goals. I took a deep breath and rubbed my face before letting it out.

I could do this, and hopefully Hansol wouldn’t lose his battle against the darkness that seemed like a much better solution than disappointing his father. Instead, I decided to think about more uplifting things.

I had barely been here for two months and already people were willing to give me recommendations and others were giving me job offerings in high places. Whatever happened tonight, I know it would reflect well on my opportunities in the future. I could do this, and everything would be okay. I couldn’t have been any more wrong.

The minute I saw Hansol, I knew things were going to end badly. He was standing in the middle of the stage, patiently waiting for me. From a distance, he looked fine, but when I stood across from him, I could see how tired he was. He had dark rings underneath his eyes, which were a little bloodshot, and he definitely lost weight.

He had that blank mask I was starting to connect with the Kim family set, but his right pointer finger was messing with the ring on his thumb. He was nervous, and to be honest, so was I. I wasn’t worried about the competition itself, I was quite confident in my abilities, something Hansol wasn’t. I was worried about the outcome.

I couldn’t think on it too long, because the competition began. I started first, calmly calling on my center and trying to ignore the way Hansol’s hand shook when he summoned his. What had he been doing the few weeks he’d gone missing? I couldn’t ask and I’m sure he wouldn’t answer.

I started first and Hansol watched, patiently awaiting his turn, but I could tell he was still nervous. However, his nervousness didn’t bleed into his music. I was as impressed as always by his talent, but he still wasn’t putting enough emotion into it and I think he knew it.

I understood why Hansol couldn’t put his emotion to it. Gohn explained it very well and I could tell that his parents didn’t care about emotion, they cared about perfection and they drilled that into Hansol. They were still drilling it into him, completely unaware that they were destroying their son and teaching him incorrectly.

I got the feeling neither of them were musically inclined because all of the best know that emotion helps create the best music. I kept my thoughts to myself as it went back to my turn and as we took turns, I could tell that Hansol was getting increasingly desperate to end this, to make his parents happy.

I could tell that something was off on Hansol’s next turn, he was pulling on his magic too much, demanding too much from his body. I knew he had the potential, hell, everyone seemed to know that but Hansol himself, but he wasn’t properly trained to pull up so much power.

However, he didn’t stop and I was slightly impressed by his control. I would appreciate it more if I wasn’t aware of how shaky he was as he performed and I knew this was going to end badly, really badly. Hansol was demanding too much from his body which was most likely deprived of a lot of sleep and an untrained body even at its best couldn’t keep a firm grip on all the magic Hansol was bringing out.

I thought of bombing it, of giving up and allowing Hansol the win he deserved, but I could tell that he would know. He would know that I was bombing it and he’d get upset, and an upset, deprived magician already strung taut from all this stress wasn’t something anyone wanted to deal with.

Then again, by the way a faint creaking sound made itself known, either way, something was going to happen. I remembered Seogoong’s advice. Do the right thing rang through my mind and I decided to keep going. Hansol would earn his win the right way. I was happy when Hansol didn’t pass out nor did anything bad happen on his next turn, but it was only a matter of time.

I was doing well, extremely well, and Hansol knew it judging by his facial expression. I had gotten pretty good at reading his face and at the moment, he was too tired to try and hide it. However, that expression slid into panic on his next turn, and with good reason. The lightning that usually flashed just for show appeared near Hansol’s hands.

He had called on it, but it wasn’t going away. It pulsed once and the wood surrounding us creaked and began bending itself. Hansol was losing control, and he knew it. I wanted nothing more than to help, but I didn’t know what he was doing wrong. “Stop. You have to stop.” I whispered, knowing he could hear me.

Hansol looked up, his blank mask long gone and his panic clear. “I can’t.” he replied. In that moment, Hansol sounded like a child, an extremely frightened and vulnerable one. I turned, wondering if anyone was going to help out.

It was literally obvious that Hansol was losing control as the lightning he’d made pulsed again. The wood surrounding us creaked again, much louder, more like a groan. I could see Hansol’s parents up front, but they weren’t doing anything.

Sitting right next to Hansol’s father was Gohn. He looked a mixture of terrified, angry, and worried. I thought he would do something, but I realized that Hansol’s father had a steel grip on Gohn’s arm, keeping the younger in place. He was letting this happen, allowing his son to destroy himself, this theater, and possibly the people in it.

I turned back, wondering what I could do as Hansol reached a crescendo. The music he was making was too angry and desperate with hints of fear in it. Hansol was bringing his emotions into his music at the wrong time. The lightning pulsed again and instead of groaning, the wood of the stage tore apart.

Hansol looked up and time froze.

Hansol looked like a small child who had just lost, not only the competition, but control and he had no idea what to do. His lips pressed together to stop them from wobbling and the sign of tears appeared in his eyes, but not a drop fell. All of a sudden, time sped right back up and the lightning pulsed one more time. Hansol lost full control.

Hansol’s center and the spheres behind him cracked and then it…imploded. Hansol was shot backwards, the wood caving in upon his impact as the entire stage moved like an ocean wave. Hansol was tearing it apart.

He hit the other side of the stage impossibly hard and the sound ricocheted around the theater amongst the sound of the stage tearing itself apart. However, the minute Hansol hit the ground, the stage stopped what it was doing. My ears were ringing awfully loud but I definitely heard someone who sounded like Xero shout Hansol’s name.

I was standing there in shock, frozen as I stared at Hansol’s impossibly still body. Although Hansol had lost control, he didn’t lose all of it. If he did, I wouldn’t be standing where I was. Hansol had saved my, and I’m pretty sure everyone in this entire theater’s, life by pulling the explosion in instead of letting it out.

My legs moved on their own, careful of the destroyed stage, as I moved to where Hansol was. He wasn’t moving, and his body was so still. When I finally got to his side, I noticed that Xero and Gohn were there, both of them too afraid to touch him in case they hurt him even more.

I dropped down to my knees on the opposite side of where Gohn and Xero were and I noticed how serene Hansol’s expression was. I’m sure wherever his mind had taken him, he didn’t have to worry about disapproval or perfection. I wanted to touch him, to see if he was breathing, anything, but I couldn’t.

The temperature around Hansol was dropping steadily and I wasn’t sure if it was Hansol himself or Xero who was looking a little unhinged. He looked just as tired as Hansol had and just as desperate and now, he looked terrified as he looked at his best friend.

I couldn’t see Gohn’s face, but his shoulders were shaking before he whirled around and demanded someone help them. I hadn’t even realized that no one had moved, probably too frightened by what had happened.

Eventually people arrived, gently picking Hansol up and carting him off to the hospital. Xero looked like he was minutes away from passing out, but Gohn kept him upright. They didn’t even spare me a glance as they rushed off after the medical team.


	10. Chapter 10

When I stepped into the waiting room of the hospital, I was greeted by the six members that had accepted me as their own. All of them looked a mixture of nervous, worried, and some of them even looked angry. I thought that anger was directed at me, until they noticed I was there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen P-Goon look so worried.

“Are you okay? You’re not bleeding are you?” the older male asked as Seogoong took it upon himself to move me in the positions he wanted to make sure I was okay. “I’m fine, how is he?” I asked, and I knew they were aware of who I meant. “He’s stable. Gohn and Xero refused to leave his side, and his parents are in there too.” A-Tom informed me.

My heart sank at the mention of his parents. “Why didn’t they do anything? Why did they stop Gohn hyung?” I asked, utterly and confused and disgusted by their behavior. “They’re probably waiting to disown him now.” Kidoh muttered darkly, an annoyed expression on his face.

“What? Why?” shouldn’t they be worried about his wellbeing? Hansol’s center literally imploded on him and he was still breathing. It was a miracle. “He lost.” Seogoong muttered, his gaze downcast. I frowned and I think that was my boiling point.

“How can he lose in a competition that wasn’t even finished?” I demanded. It hadn’t ended. I don’t even think it should’ve began. Hansol wasn’t ready in any way, shape, or form. He had been exhausted, weighed down, and absolutely terrified of the outcome. That doesn’t sound prepared to me. To me, the game is over when we have truly proved ourselves to the other, and that’s definitely not what happened on the stage tonight.

“His parents don’t think that way Byungjoo.” Nakta explained. I wanted to scream, I really did, but that wasn’t hospital behavior. So, I sat down and waited for his parents to leave. I don’t think I could handle being in the same room as them. However, it appeared that was going to happen because a few minutes later they both appeared.

Neither one of them seemed distraught, an emotion they should’ve been feeling. Instead, they still looked as power hungry as they did when I first met them. However, they didn’t speak to me, or anyone else in the room for that matter.

They looked at everyone in turn before simply leaving. A nurse showed up right after informing us that because of Xero and Gohn already being in there, only one other could go. I don’t know why, but the members agreed that I should do it.

My hands trembled as I walked down the hall, heading towards his room. When my whole frame began to shiver and I noticed I could see my breath, I knew something was wrong. On the verge of panic, I rushed towards Hansol’s door and stopped outside of it.

The door was wide open so I could’ve easily walked in, but I was frozen where I stood. In the room I could see Hansol, looking as serene as could be and extremely still, but surrounding him were multiple people.

On his right were two people I recognized, Gohn and Xero. However, on his left stood three people, one I knew and two I didn’t. Jenissi was standing by Hansol’s head, looking at his unconscious cousin with a mixture of sadness and anger.

That anger couldn’t have been directed at his cousin so I figured there could only be a few people he was angry at. Next to him was a man who reminded me of P-Goon hyung and I got the feeling that this was Sangdo.

The last person and the smallest looked an awful lot like a doll what with the creamy smooth skin and extremely dark hair. He had a round baby face and I could tell that he was a shifter, and he had to be Yano.

“They don’t care about us Gohn, can you see that now?” it was Jenissi who was speaking. He was still staring at Hansol even as he spoke. “They were going to let Hansol kill himself. They were going to let our baby cousin, our baby brother, kill himself!” Gohn frowned and his hands curled into fists.

“And when you tried to help, what did they do?” when Gohn didn’t speak, Jenissi repeated his question. “They held me back.” Gohn sounded angry and hurt, betrayed even. “They held you back.” Jenissi confirmed.

“We wouldn’t hold you back, you know that. We’d never let that happen, because we care. We’d never let one of our own lose control of his power. You know that right?” Gohn nodded and I was horrified.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything at all but watch as everything unfolded. “And Xero, little Jiho, it must’ve hurt you to see Hansol work himself to death over this stupid competition,” Jenissi said, turning to look at Xero who looked incredibly unhinged. It was terrifying really.

“Look at Hansol, look at him. He’s exhausted, he’s lost so much weight from all that stress put on him by his family, by his teacher, and all he wanted was to make them proud. You know that the most.” Xero nodded and the temperature dropped even more.

“Come with us then.” This time it was Sangdo. His voice was soothing, lulling even. “Yeah, I miss my favorite hyungs.” That was Yano. He was pouting as he moved around and attached himself to Gohn who allowed it, wrapping an arm around the younger shifter.

“He’ll wake up right?” Xero looked so hopeful as he looked at Sangdo. “You’ll wake him up, right hyung?” he asked. Sangdo smiled gently and ran his arm over Hansol’s forehead. “Of course we will, I promise you, Hansol will wake up.” Sangdo promised. “He won’t be stressed anymore? He won’t be terrified of his father?” Xero sounded so young and scared and it reminded me of Hansol.

“He won’t have to worry about his parents again.” Jenissi promised, but I felt like there was a double meaning. Jenissi had said that besides Dongsung and Hansol, the rest of his family meant nothing to him, and from the way he treated me, I could tell Jenissi hated when his cousins, his brothers, were hurt whether it be physically or emotionally. I got the feeling that Hansol’s parents would disappear if it were up to Jenissi, and it was getting real close to that.

“Then there’s no other choice,” Xero said and I’ve never been as cold as I was at that moment. “You’ll come with us right hyung?” Yano asked, directing everyone’s attention to Gohn. Gohn looked at Hansol whose chest barely rose or fell with his breath. “He’s already changed didn’t he?” he asked instead. Sangdo looked Hansol over before nodding.

“The minute his center imploded.” Jenissi pointed out, and I noticed that he was now looking at Hansol with a worried expression. Hansol looked so small as he laid there, and the weight loss definitely wasn’t something that was supposed to happen. “Then it’s already decided,” Gohn said. Sangdo nodded and Yano looked delighted before his face fell.

“What about Seogoong hyung?” he asked. “That’s for another time, right now, we need to move Hansol,” Jenissi said. Sangdo nodded and Jenissi began moving the needles from Hansol’s body as well as the oxygen tube they’d given him.

What were they doing? In that moment, I felt my body loosen, as if whatever had kept it in place was distracted. “What are you doing?” my voice wasn’t as loud as I wanted it to be. I had wanted to be loud, to warn the others that something was happening, but my voice came out hoarse instead.

Gohn, Xero, and Yano turned towards me. The other two were busy unplugging Hansol. Xero looked different, as if he’d already changed. Now that I looked he had. It must’ve been in between now and when he’d gotten to Hansol’s body. Gohn still seemed himself, but I could tell it was only a matter of time until he gave in completely. He probably wanted to make sure Hansol was okay before he fully embraced the darkness.

“Don’t interfere in family business boy.” Jenissi’s voice caught me off guard. He sounded much closer than he actually was and I blinked, only to have him standing directly in front of me. “I would say thanks, but you never did break a leg. Don’t worry prodigy, my baby brother’s coming home. See ya’ round boy.” Jenissi reached out and pressed his pointer finger to my forehead. My entire mind seemed to shut down when he did and the last thing I saw was everyone disappearing in a swirl of dark mist.

When I woke up what felt like days later but was only mere minutes, the other six members were standing inside Hansol’s hospital room. They all had unreadable expressions on their faces as they realized what had happened.

They were gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter lengths aren't consistent for some reason. Sorry about that. Some will be shorter than others.


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